Running board for cars



April 14, 1942. l.. J. LIEBERMAN RUNNING BOARD FOR CARS 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July l ATTORNEY.

Patenre'd Apr. V14,- 1942 UNITED STATE vitUNNINd BOARD Fon CARS Leon J. Lieberman, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Alan Wood Steel Company, Conshohocken, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania.

` Application July 1, 1940, Serial No.' 343,339

8 Claims.

My invention is an improved running board designed to provide, over the top of a car, a rigid walkway composed of metal sheets free from substantial molecular distortion, which is reenforced against transverse stresses, and which reenforced by elongated, overlapping surface lugs forming a slip-proof surface and containing elongated apertures so shaped andpositioned as `to be available as emergency hand holds and forming draft vents for the deflection of snow and discharge openings for the drainage of water. The elongated apertures may be provided with peripheral flanges, which supplement the reenforcement provided by the lugs.

Preferably the plates are so supported, relatively to the car top, as to provide therewith a substantially unobstructed passage from end to end of the car, so that air currents, owing through such passage, swirl upward through the elongated slots throughout the length of the running board and divert the fall of snow there-i from.

The characteristic features and advantages of my improvements will further appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings in illustration thereof.

.In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a freight car having a running board applied thereto in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an end view looking in the direction in. dicated by the line and arrows 2-#2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 isa fragmentary longitudinal sectional view showing the juncture of two plates on a hollow saddle permitting substantially unobstructed Wind sweep under the walkway; Fig. 5`is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of a section of rolled steel plate used in my improved walkway; Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5 but on a smaller scale; Fig. 7 is ar fragmentary view showing a modified connection of longitudinal and latitudinal runway; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the modified mounting of the latitudinal runway;` Fig. 9 is a fragmentary top plan view of a runway section conl taining flanged apertures; Fig. 10 is a'transverse sectional view vof the runway section shown in Fig. 9; and Fig. 1l is a longitudinal sectional view ofr the runway section shown in Fig. 9.

In the drawings, my improvements are shown applied to a usual freight car roof having sections I and 2 inclined upwardly from the longitudinal edges of the car to a median longitudinal ridge 3 (see Figs. 2 and 3).

Along this ridge there is mounted a longitudinal running board composed of rigid rolled steel plates 4, 5, 6, each having down-turned flanges along the longitudinal edges thereof. The end plates 4 and 6 also have transverse down-turned flanges at the outer ends thereof. Each ofthe rigid rolled plates 4, 5 and 6 is reenforced by integral elongated protuberant bosses 9 rolled on the upper surface thereof and preferably consisting of transversely disposed substantially lozenge-shape studs or projections arranged in rows lying normal to one another; each set of rows extending diagonally across the plate. The elongated studs of each diagonal roW are separated by elongated studs of diagonal rows normal thereto and the rows so overlap one another that no straight line can be drawn transversely across the plate which is not intersected by a series of such reenforcing studs.

Each plate contains a series of rows of staggered elongated'slots I0 and II spaced laterally and longitudinally from one another so that the areas of the apertures in the flat longitudinal walkway constitute at least ten percent of the total area thereof but there is an imperforate section of plate normal to the edges thereof between planes bounding adjacent ends of each transverse row of apertures Ill and a transverse row of 'apertures II. The edges of the apertures are haphazardly reenforced by sections of lugs 9, and the ends of the slots are curved so that the danger of cracking is minimized and any cracks which may develop are quickly stopped bya lug. l

As illustrated in Figs. 9, 10 and l1, the edges surrounding the slots may be bent downward to in closer juxtaposition in a sheet of given thick- -.plates l' and O may be supported by bent brackets I2 secured` to the downtumed end flanges 'of the plates and to the ends otthe car; thel abutting ends of the plates I, and tmay g be supported by'yoke-like brackets I 3 having top I sections fitting between the side flanges of such plates and 4having ears I4 connected. with the v roof sheets or frame beyond` the sides of the run-` way; and the intermediate sectionsof the plates 4, 5 and 6 maybe supported by brackets or clips l5 and I6 having bent uprights secured to the side flanges of the plates and ears secured tothe r'oof sheets or frame beyond Vthe sides of the run.

. way

Latitudinal runways are provided adjacent t0 hand holds when/theplates are spaced above the `-car roof, but do not obstruct or detrimentally weaken the running board, which may be made of lcomparatively thin rolled -stel plate, say

the ends of the car roof and, as'shown in Figs. I

1 and 2,'such latitudinal runways'may consist of rigid rolled steel plates 'l and 8 reenforced by The slots may have .plain cut edges as illustrated in Figs. 5.a'nd 6, or flanged edgesV as shown in Figs. 9to ll. The plates 'l and 8 may have plain edge sections to facilitate 4the riveting thereof to bracingstrips attached to the car roof, and may-also. be provided with downturned outer lips or anges and upturned inner lips or flanges nesting under Vside flanges of the plates 4 and 6, and with usual hand .hold

irons Il, as shown'in Figsl and 2.

Sometimes, however, it is preferable-that the latitudinal walkways, aswell as the longitudinal walkway, be supported'sufllciently above the surface' of the car roof to provide a sweep of air Abeneath the latitudinal walkways,`as .illustrated in Figs. 'land 8.. As illustrated in these figures, there may be provided, at each end of the car, a latitudinal walkway comprising a rigid rolled steel plate 'la having side flanges, reenforcing surface bosses 9. and a series of slots I 0 and I l similar to those of the plate section shown in.

Figs. 5 and 6 or in' Figs..9 to 11. "I'he inner 'end of each plate la is supported by a pair of brackets I8 having upturned ears I9 fixed to the side flange of the longitudinal walkwayand ears 20 fixed to the .side flange of the latitudinal 'walkway. The outer end of each latitudinal walkway is supported by a pair of brackets 2| fixed to the under-side of the walkway and tothe side of .the Vcar. f

It will be observed that the running board cooperates with"theinclined car roof sheets to form a longitudinal passage extend-ing substantially unobstructed from end to end of the car and decreasing laterally in cross-section toward the inch in thickness, due tothe rigidity imparted thereto by the relative positioning and spacing of the protuberant lugs and slots and the i'langes surrounding the latter. Moreover, the rigidity of the running board and the manner ol' its attachment with the car roof coacts with the latter to form a box-like section extending longitudinall'y of .the car and materially increasing the having their lengths extending longitudinally of the running board and the lengths of said bosses extending diagonally relatively to the lengths of said'slcts. I

2. The combination with an inclined car top,

lozenge-shapedbosses 9 and containing rows of of arunning board extending longitudinally of slots I0 and Il.

the top and composed of rigid rolled steel plate forming a at surface the full Width of the running board and containing rows of longitudinally extending vents of a size suitable for use as hand holds and providing drafts for air currents fiowing between said plates and inclined top and transversely reenforced with integral overlapping' Y elongated bosses extending transversely to one another and diagonally of the length of the plate.

3. The combination with a car-roof having sec- 'tions inclinedv upwardly from the car edges toing said plates without substantially obstructing Y the -passage thereunder.

4.V A car. roof running board comprising rigid rolled steel plate transversely reenforced by diagonal rows of integral lugs and containing slots of a size suitable for use as hand holds having substantially parallel edges each intersecting a plurality of said lugs and reenforced by intersected lugs aforesaid.

5. The, combination with a car roof structure,

' of a running board comprising aslotted anged board and permit'the drainage of water from the running board. The roughened surface provided by the bosses .and openings afford secure non- .slip footing. In the embodiment of the inventionV illustrated inrFigs. 7 and 48, the air currents also pass under the latitudinal walkways and sweep upward through the slotstherein.

The'openings I0 and II in the plates are of such width and length as to provide emergency rigid lweb transwersely4 reenforced by surface bosses and forming with the roof structure a box like section extending longitudinally of the roof and forming a ,substantially unobstructed passage, and .brackets anchored to` said roof structure beyond the edges of said running board and supporting said web without substantially obstructing said passage.

6. A car roof running board comprising rigid rolled steel plate reenforced by protuberant in'- tegral bosses and containing slots of a size suitable for use as hand holds, the plate edges surrounding said slots being flanged downwardly a distance not exceeding half the width of thc re- .spective slots.

. 7. A car roof running board comprising rigid rolled steel plate reenforced vby integral protustaggered slots of a size suitable for use as hand holds, the end edgesof one transverse row of slots being separated from the adjacent end edges of the next transverse row of slots byan imperforate strip of plate normal to the edges thereof and reenforced by bosses extending transversely Y to one another.

' LEON J. LIEBERMAN. 

